socalledcopy:
3D printer + IKEA hack = toddler bike
It’s nothing new to make your own furniture out of the build-it sets sold at IKEA. What I like is about this hack is that since people can print their own extra parts, it’s no longer just about finding the right screw and drilling a few new holes to turn your bookcase into a side table. Now, it’s printing out the pieces you need at home to help hack yourself a whole new product.
What happens when 3D printing is so mainstream that getting the pieces you need, in the exact colours you want is just a click away? What happens when the flat pack isn’t the cheapest and smartest way to have the home furnishings you want at a price you can afford? What happens when printing a BILLY bookcase wins over tackling the IKEA store on a Saturday, no matter how good those hotdogs are?
3D printing should be a wake up call for most businesses that sell “things”. But it doesn’t mean they have to end up like Kodak or Blockbuster. Like the always fictitious but often wise Don Draper says, “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” As long as companies know who their customers are, selling them what they want and need should be the easy part.
If customers don’t like or no longer need what’s being sold to them, change the sale. Adapt. It will be exciting to see if IKEA is able to do that, when and if it becomes necessary.
Until then, try your hand at making the FROSTA stool bike here. Or maybe just print one of your own at home.
via: grist
